Very excellent, and nice that you guys are back for no reason. Two tracks did it for me. I thought I was the only living boy on the planet that liked 'Viene De Mi' by La Yegros, one of my lucky stumbles of 2013. But now I don't feel so alone. Maxine Sullivan and 'If I had a Ribbon Bow' were both new to me, but all the fresher for it.

This might be a bit of a stretch, but is it something to do with clauses in their wills? I definitely remember that Dusty Springfield left a chunk of money to her cat. And I seem to recall that there was a legal battle over George Formby's will. Is it 'money left to pets' or 'the lawyers ended up with most of the money'?

You got it, Gordon. A bit more, in fact - they were both deported for refusing to play at segregated audiences.

It says on t'interweb, so it must be true:

In 1946 (George Formby) and Beryl (his wife and manager) were in South Africa as part of a world tour. Apartheid was still two years away, but Formby was informed that his audiences would be segregated, black and white divided. He was shocked by the decision, but it was Beryl that really took the situation to heart. Beryl embraced a three year old black girl who had presented her with a box of chocolates on stage. The National Party leader Daniel Francois Malan ordered the couple’s immediate deportation from the country, but Beryl refused. She cancelled all George’s official dates and instead played to black audiences all over South Africa. When the government eventually caught up with them at a hotel, Malan finally had them thrown out; he was reported to have told them “never come back to this country”. Beryl, replied “Why don’t you piss off you horrible little man?” and slapped him across the face.